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2010 Stanley Cup finals: Chicago Blackhawks still confident after two losses to Philadelphia Flyers - ESPN Chicago
JUST RELAX GUYS!
"It's a good wakeup call for us," said Hawks winger Andrew Ladd, playing for the first time in the Finals after injuring his arm in the last game of the Conference Finals. "This team has done well when coming back from adversity and having to deal with tough situations, so we're confident that we can play the right way the next game and get back to where we want to be."
# The Hawks have never played well in Philadelphia with a losing streak that now stands at 10 (eight in the regular season, two in the playoffs). What about Game 6 back at the Wachovia Center next Wednesday, you say? "We're not looking to Game 6 or 7," said Jonathan Toews, "we're looking to the next one. We're happy about going back to our own building, and we want to get a win on our home soil and then come back here and do better than we did the last two games."
And yes, Game 7 is back home.
# Toews. He still hasn't scored in the Finals, but he maintained his dominance in the faceoff circle winning 24 of 33 draws. That has to pay off eventually, no?
# The Hawks lost consecutive games for the first time in the playoffs after going 4-0 and outscoring opponents 14-3 following a loss. The odds are against a third.
# Despite a costly first period, the Hawks held the Flyers without a shot for 10:13 while taking six on goal themselves.
# You have to figure the Hawks are due for a better shake from officials at home.
# The third period. The Hawks finally scored on a power play. They made a game of it. They finally out-hit the Flyers, 11-9.
"I think it's just a matter of being composed, that's the biggest thing," said Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith, who assisted on each of his team's three goals Friday and went so far as to say he and his teammates were enjoying themselves.
"It's been a great series so far, it's been a battle and it's been a lot of fun," he said. "We've tried all year to get home ice and now let's use that to our advantage."
Though the Hawks had been better on the road coming into the Finals with a seven-game winning streak, holding the home-ice advantage is a comfort.
ESPNChicago.com Blackhawks blog
Blackhawks blog The latest news from Hawks beat reporter Jesse Rogers. Blog
"That's what you work for in the regular season, and it definitely comes in handy during the playoffs," Ladd said. "I know firsthand from playing in Carolina, it came in very handy, especially in Game 7. We're looking forward to going back to Chicago and having a good effort."
Despite the expected dread of Hawks fans, players did not appear particularly panicked after Friday night's game. They spoke of knowing it was going to be a tough series and feeling perfectly confident in their ability to ultimately triumph over the Flyers.
"It's still 2-2," said Hawks' defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, who should have felt as deflated as anyone after two key giveaways in the first period led to Philadelphia goals, but was not. "It sounds like the series is over. No, it's still 2-2, we still have home advantage, we're still in a great spot. So we're just looking forward to the next game."
JUST RELAX GUYS!